Owens grievance filed; Garcia to join Browns

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, March 9, 2004

The players' union announced Monday that it would file a grievance with an arbitrator challenging the NFL over wide receiver Terrell Owens' right to free agency.

Meanwhile, quarterback Jeff Garcia agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal with the Browns, with $5.5 million guaranteed in the first year.

Owens was traded Thursday by the 49ers to the Ravens for Baltimore's second-round pick. Owens contends he should have become a free agent because he never received proper notice that the date to void his contract was moved up.

The union maintained that a fax was sent to Owens' agent, David Joseph, regarding the accelerated void date.

But now the union is moving for a grievance on a new front, claiming the 49ers didn't have the right to the last two years (2005 and 2006) of Owens' contract. The union claims Owens can void his contract after the 2004 season, meaning he might have only one year left on his deal rather than three.

The claim states the 49ers knew Owens could void after 2004 but that they didn't tell the Ravens before the trade was made.

According to a source, when Owens restructured his contract in 2001, a clause stating that Owens could void after the 2004 and 2005 seasons was removed by mistake.

"So that there is no misunderstanding, regardless of what happens with the grievance, under the present circumstances I do not see myself playing for the Ravens," Owens said in a statement released to the Associated Press. "I can assure everyone that I will continue to keep fighting for my right to play for the team of my choice even after the grievance. At the end of this process, I simply want to be able to exercise my right to play for a team of my choosing under a deal that is fair to me and my family."

Should Owens win the grievance, the trade would be rescinded, and he would enter the free-agent market. The traded pick, the 51st overall.

A win by the league would mean status quo, with Owens a Raven and the 49ers retaining the 51st pick. League sources say it would be a shock if Owens wins the case.

Meanwhile, Garcia appeared headed to the Buccaneers, according to his hometown newspaper, the Gilroy Dispatch. The paper quoted Garcia's father, Bob, saying Jeff was off to Florida.

Reached at his Gilroy home Monday night, Bob Garcia retracted his statement. "I popped off in the paper and got my butt chewed," said the former Gavilan Community College coach.

Another source said Garcia committed to the Bucs and then decided against it after Tampa Bay couldn't come within 60 percent of the Cleveland offer.

The salary cap-strapped Bucs were offering a deal around $2.5 million in the first year plus incentives.